21 March 2008
Acting on Impulse

It is the Easter weekend and what has become one of the busiest gardening weekends of the year. Despite the weatherman's prediction of snow (apparently there is more chance of it at Easter than at Christmas!), many of us will be making a first foray of the year to the garden centre to be seduced by the perfectly arranged plants, all in prime condition. Many of us will also fall prey to the impulsive urge to buy something that we like the look of even though we're not quite sure where to put it in the garden.

As I've learned from experience, this can prove a costly mistake.  What appears to be a compact, well behaved plant in the pot can turn into a rampaging monster when planted in the garden. Alternatively the prized and vigourous specimen that you brought home can become a sickly shadow of its former self once away from the pampered world of the garden centre.

So how can these mistakes be avoided? There are a few simple steps that can help to make sure you don't fall into the horticultural marketing man's trap.

Firstly, know your own garden.
     -  Understand what type of soil you have (does it dry out quickly or slowly? Is it heavy
        and difficult to dig?);
     -  Think about which direction each border faces (north, south, east or west); 
     -  Does your garden get lots of sun?
     -  Is your garden exposed to the wind and if so from which direction?
     -  What type of plants do well in your garden and those of your neighbours? Even the
        weeds tell us something about the conditions.

Secondly, find out as much as possible about the plant that you are buying.
     - Read the label. It will usually give lots of information about the plant including
       its eventual size and the conditions it likes.
     - If you are still unsure, ask someone from the garden centre. They should be able to
       tell you about the plants they are selling.

Thirdly, decide where in your garden it will feel most at home before you buy it.

Having thought about your prospective new addition in this way before you part with your money, you are much more likely to have a growing success than a dismal failure.

Of course if all this seems to be too much trouble, you could always employ a garden designer.

9 March 2008
Once in a Lifetime

 It is not every day that you see a bamboo in flower. In fact it can take many years before it happens. I was therefore surprised the other day to see my own specimen of Fargesia nitida (Fountain bamboo) covered in flowers. It is something of a mixed blessing. Although the flowering stems make an unusual sight, they probably also spell the end of the elegant potted bamboo that has graced my balcony for several years. Bamboos seldom fully recover from the loss of energy devoted to flowering and so my specimen will probably have to be replaced.

What is perhaps more unusual is that the same thing is happening to Fargesia nitida all over the world. Since bamboos are mainly propagated by division of established plants, there are many plants all over the world that are in fact clones of each other. By some bizarre natural biological clock all of these clones will flower at about the same time.

So how to replace it? I could take the easy option and buy another specimen. It gives me instant results but I run the risk of getting another plant that is about to flower (and die!). What is perhaps more challenging is to save some seed and attempt to grow my own. Apparently this can take a long time but at least I might end up with several plants that won't all flower at once.